Units / MPH5268
MPH5268 · Financial management in health care
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
The provision of effective healthcare is an essential component of contemporary society, however with people living longer and community expectations of and demand for healthcare increasing at an unprecedented rate, the financial costs of healthcare are growing at an ever increasing rate. Together with rapid advances in clinical capabilities and technological sophistication, meeting these social and financial challenges has never been more challenging. In this unit you will examine the basic accounting, financial reporting, budgeting and financial business planning concepts applicable to the healthcare sector, and how they are used by healthcare professionals to aid strategic, operational and service delivery decision making.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Alfred Hospital | First semester | Activities scheduled as a mix of on-campus and online activities in a block period (BLD-BLK) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essay (1,200 words) | Written | 20% | — |
| 2 | Report (1,400 words) | Written | 40% | Competency |
| 3 | Case study analysis and reflection (2,400 words) | Written | 30% | — |
| 4 | Audio visual presentation (10 mins) | Presentation | 10% | — |
Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Apply accounting terminologies, concepts and processes that underpin the preparation of key financial statements
- Review the financial reporting requirements of the regulatory framework that applies to the healthcare sector and assess how they impact the preparation and use of financial reporting systems
- Analyse the statutory financial statements prepared and used by public and private sector health care providers
- Appraise the various internal management reports typically used in health care organisations and evaluate their use in the day to day management of organisational sub units
- Interpret operational and capital budgeting processes, and critique their importance in submissions for major items of capital expenditure
- Critically analyse the importance of business planning and its role in organisational growth and development
Workload
12 hours of self-directed study per week, plus 3 block days.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 16 hours |
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